Japan - 1

Hi, My Wife, Ruthe, and I arrived in Japan in the early evening of July 15, 2015 after a non stop flight from Washington Dulles International Airport.

We booked two back to back cruises on the Diamond Princess with Road Scholar which included two nights in a hotel in Yokohama along with a day of sightseeing in Tokyo and a 1/2 day in Yokohama.  The hotel, the Yokohama Royal Palace, occupies the top 20 floors of a 70 story building with restaurants on the top floor.  The building is the tallest in Yokohama.

The first cruise concentrated on Hokkaido with a stop on Sakhalin Island while the second cruise concentrated on Honshu with a stop in Busan, South Korea.

Our first full day in Japan was spent in Tokyo.  We traveled via commuter train at the end of the morning rush hour.  A large number of people were still headed to work.

Our first stop was the electronics area as at one time it was an important location for the Shogunate which ruled Japan (above and three below).

There were many stands such as this selling electronics parts.

We took a subway train to our next destination (above and below).  Some of the stations had murals made up of tiles.

Many restaurants had plastic mock ups of their dishes displayed in their windows (above and below).

The Senso-Ji Temple is approached via a long promenade lined with shops (above and below).

Items for sale included these combs used to hold a woman's hair in place, and

these masks.

This a typical street in the area.

The Senso-Ji Temple is large and attracts many people.

These objects were just outside the temple.

Here are two interior views (above and below).

This shrine was on the temple grounds.

From the temple we walked to lunch.

One can still see Rickshaws.

For lunch we had Okonomiyaki, a savory pancake.  The ingredients are placed in a bowl, mixed, and

placed on a hot grill where a pancake is shaped.

After lunch we visited the Tokyo National Museum.

Here are three of the items we saw (above and two below).

I photographed this scene from the back of the Museum.

The view from our room was spectacular, especially at night (above and below).

Thanks for looking.